Emphasis animations give PowerPoint a spark

Q. There’s a cool “gears” SmartArt element in PowerPoint. Can I animate it so the gears spin?

A. You sure can! Be sure you’ve used all the “smart” features to input text and order the shapes the way you like. Then, select the SmartArt element and click the Convert button on the SmartArt Design contextual tab. It’s on the far right. You’ll notice that the SmartArt contextual tabs have been replaced by a Drawing Tools contextual tab. Click the Arrange button in the Drawing group and select Ungroup. You may have to do this a couple of times to make sure your objects are all separate.

Now, just select the gear-shaped objects. On the Animations tab, choose the Emphasis animation called Spin. Finally, select the gear on the left in the middle and reveal the Animation Pane (Advanced Animation group). Change the Effect Options on this shape to 360° Counterclockwise.

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